Patrick John Slattery was born at Limerick Street, Roscrea, County Tipperary, Ireland, on the 12th March 1888, the son of John and May Slattery (née McDonald). His father was a shoemaker. His mother died at their home on the 25th May 1896 from influenza and broncho-pneumonia, aged 44 years, and her sister moved in with the family to help
raise the children.
On the 26th July 1906, he boarded the Majestic at Queenstown and immigrated to New York City in the United States of America. He found work as a packer with a pharmaceutical company, and on the 6th February 1912, became a naturalized citizen of the United States of America. He resided at 518. Pearl Street, New York City.
In the spring of 1915, he booked second cabin passage on the May sailing of the Lusitania, travelling back to his home for a holiday.
Having arrived at the Cunard berth at Pier 54 on the west side of city on the morning of 1st May 1915, in time for the liner’s scheduled 10 o’clock departure, he boarded and then, like all the other passengers and crew on board, had to wait until just before 12.30 p.m. before the liner actually sailed. This was because she had to embark passengers, crew and cargo from the Anchor Lines vessel the S.S. Cameronia which the British Admiralty had requisitioned for war service.
Then, six days out of New York on the afternoon of 7th May, and within sight of the coast of southern Ireland, the Lusitania was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-20. At that stage of her return voyage, she was only about 250 miles away from the safety of her home port.
Patrick Slattery survived this action, however, and having been rescued from the sea, he was landed at Queenstown, from where it is assumed that he made it to his original intended destination.
Fellow second-class passenger, and survivor, John Sweeney, was quoted in an interview he gave to the Western People newspaper which appeared in the edition of 13th May 1915, it was stated: -
‘I was delighted to find that my messmate, a young man named Patrick Slattery, from Tipperary, had also been saved. He could not swim, and although he had his overcoat and boots on him, his lifebelt kept him afloat until he was picked up.’
Patrick Slattery returned to New York City on the 26th November 1916 on board the Philadelphia, having sailed from Liverpool, but didn’t remain there for long as he quickly moved to Lynn, Massachusetts, where he was employed as a conductor for the Bay State Street Railway Company on their tram system.
He then worked at an electrical manufacturing factory, where he met Mary A. Hennessy, and the couple were married in Lynn in 1920. The established their home at 2. Geneva Avenue, Lynn. They had no children.
On 21st February 1924, the Mixed Claims Commission settled Patrick Slattery’s claim, awarding him the sum of $3,000.00 to compensate him for the personal property he lost when the liner sank.
In later years, Patrick Slattery became a caretaker for a public park, and in 1956, his wife, Mary, died. Patrick John Slattery died in Lynn on the 6th May 1964, aged 76 years. He was buried beside his wife in Saint Joseph Cemetery, Lynn.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, Massachusetts U.S. Marriage Index 1901 – 1955, 1901 Census of Ireland, 1910 U.S. Federal Census, 1920 U.S. Federal Census, 1930 U.S. Federal Census, 1940 U.S. Federal Census, New York Naturalization Records 1882 – 1944, U.S. Passport Applications 1795 – 1925, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, Cunard Records, Mixed Claims Commission Docket No. 221, 1937 Lynn City Directory, U.S. World War I Draft Registration Cards 1917 – 1918, U.S. World War
II Draft Registration Cards 1942, Western People, PRO BT 100/345, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.